New Jolt Looms for Investors: Earnings

By

Jonathan Cheng

Updated July 9, 2012 12:05 p.m. ET

Investors already fretting about the health of the world's biggest economies now face another worry: disappointing earnings.

Companies begin reporting second-quarter earnings this week, starting with Alcoa Inc. on Monday. Already, 42 companies—including Ford Motor Co. and Texas Instruments Inc.—have warned investors that profits will be lower than initially expected, in large part because of slowing demand from customers around the...